Mzee Kobe: It is Hard to maintain a lifestyle on an actor's pay in Kenya

Mzee Kobe, real name Joseph Gachanja, a 82-year-old veteran Kenyan actor who starred in the popular local TV show Machachari, returned to the screen after a long absence to reveal that Kenyan actors are not paid royalties and are there unable to sustain their lifestyles. 

On whether acting in Kenya can sustain a good life, he told Hiram Maina 'Kamuhunjia' on YouTube:

“With some media houses, yes. But you cannot really rely on what you get out of it in Kenya. The payment is very poor. Watch dogs and organizations that ought to be monitoring what you are paid for how much you have worked, have slept on their jobs.”

Mzee Kobe said the difference between Kenyan and Hollywood actors is that Kenyan actors do not complain and insist enough to be paid what they are worth. 

“Some media houses pay you peanuts,” he said, adding that most actors do it because they love their jobs.

Joseph proceeded to say that most actors in Kenya take life casually, urging them to speak out when being mistreated.

He added that actors would need to leave their comfort zones and walk up to the entities that are responsible for royalty collection so that they can demand their royalties.

Mzee Kobe is one of the oldest personalities that have managed to remain relevant in the acting industry in Kenya, bagging several awards in the process. 

“I started acting in 1971. I met the director of Kenya National Theatre (KNH) drama school abroad. Upon coming back home, I looked for him and auditioned as a government inspector in which I aced.

When asked if acting paid him during that time, he simply said “No”, adding that it was just a hobby: he did not expect a penny and never got any, not even a compensation.

“It was a hobby for me because after all I was working. I would go for rehearsals after work. At times I would get home quite late because of rehearsals.”

Before TV, he did modeling commercials, which he said helped him as it was a paying job. Mzee Kobe notes that his breakthrough in terms of acting was through the program ‘Machachari’ because of the length of time that he delivered.

“I have acted in Machachari for over 10 years. Since the time of the pilot all the way to the time it wound. I have seen small kids grow up to become adults. That is a proud moment in my acting career.”